Living in Telford, Shropshire, Trevor Leck has been dabbling in writing for over fifteen years. Always a fan of gripping adventure stories he has taken inspiration from his favourite authors, including John Grisham and J K Rowling, and the towns and cities he grew up, especially North Shields, to create his Young Adult series.
Trevor Leck
I never expected to be published. My debut novel, The Cubit Quest, may be a fun read that sends 12 year-old Charlie Watkins on a rollercoaster ride to save his dad, but that didn’t stop me leaving it on my PC for the next 5 years. And if it hadn’t been for my wife, who encouraged me to ‘put it out there’, it would still be there now.
I love to write about… a mixture of real life, the afterlife and a smattering of fantasy for good measure. People of all ages have fell in love with the likes of Harry Potter and Charlie Buckett (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and I hope they’ll fall in love with Charlie Watkins too.
I’m addicted to writing. I used to write purely as a way to escape the pressures of military life. Whatever’s on your mind – that next meeting, that next exam, that unending pile of ironing – writing is a great distraction. In my case, however, it was less Andy McNab and more JK Rowling.
I didn’t tell anyone I was writing for a decade. Monday morning work discussions usually centre on the latest SAS programme, while in my head I’m thinking of the latest episode of Downton Abbey! Thoughts of arch-villains, bullying, football and battling dragons were best kept to myself.
I’m not qualified to write a novel. Whilst there are a lot of authors with an MA in Creative Writing, I’m not one of them. I’m almost embarrassed to say what my English Literature result was at school, but that hasn’t put me off – and nor should it anyone else!
What’s the best thing about writing? Making people gasp out loud, or hear them groan when they reach the end of a chapter and knowing they want more, is hugely gratifying. Foxing my very perceptive 13-year-old daughter, who didn’t see a particular plot twist coming, is fun too.
What’s the worst thing about writing? Getting your work out there can be a challenge. Like most writers, I now wear those rejection letters like a badge of honour.
I love cold coffee! Well, I don’t love it, but it’s a sure-fire way to tell that a writing session has gone well. (And yes, I do still drink it.)
I’m a sucker for a happy ending – which basically means I love anything by Richard Curtis. Love Actually is a Christmas must in our house. Notting Hill is right up there too – not that I’d admit as much in those Monday morning conversations at work.
I like doing thinks backwards. I actually wrote the follow up to The Cubit Quest first – odd I know. This has put me in an odd position as a writer: instead of bashing out that next novel, I’m actually left twiddling my thumbs.
The Cubit Quest by Trevor Leck (published by Clink Street Publishing 2nd March 2017) is available to purchase from online retailers including amazon.co.uk and to order from all good bookstores.